Secrets Written In Stone
by pendragon94
Summary: Sometimes the TARDIS has a mind of its own, especially when it wants the Doctor to find something. 3rd in my 'Secrets' series.


The TARDIS landed with a thud and shuddered to a stop, throwing the Doctor to the floor. But something wasn't quite right. The Doctor had set the coordinates to land him on the planet Syle for the 90th annual food festival. It was a wonderfully fun and completely carefree event, perfect for taking his mind off of Rose. After his discovery of the letter in her room nearly a month ago, he hadn't thought of anything else. He'd always knew that he'd find her things in the TARDIS if he looked hard enough, but he never thought that she'd lead him on a scavenger hunt. Especially after she was already gone.

The idea of messages from the girl he loved had pushed him to completely turn the TARDIS upside down as soon as he was once again the only person in the TARDIS, but after a while he realized that it wouldn't work. Rose had known how curious and impatient he could get, and that he would search endlessly for the next clue. She wouldn't have just put them in a desk drawer or set them into any random dark corner.

She would have made them as difficult as possible to find if you searched, so he had decided that he would just wait, and let them show themselves.

The festival would have been a good distraction, if he had landed there, but he hadn't.

He got up, looking at the monitor, and found that he'd ended up on an Asteroid in the Kekta system. The reason for him being there wasn't obvious, but obviously there _was_ a reason, just not one that he could figure out. Finally curiosity got the better of him, and he moved to leave the TARDIS. At first the doors going outside didn't want to open, and he had to pull them as hard as he could, before they creaked inward. A tingle in the back of his mind told him that the TARDIS was apprehensive about letting him out to explore where they had ended up. But that only pushed him further into wanting to go.

As soon as the door opened, he stepped out, and found that the ship was turned to look at a stone cliff. A sheer wall of rock stood just several feet in front of him, but he couldn't have cared less. Because in the face of the stone, carved with absolute precision, was a rose. It looked almost alive, and he knew that this was another clue. Rushing forward, he pushed his hand against it, and the lines of the carving started to glow faintly.

"You have to name it."

The Doctor jumped away from the voice, pulling out the sonic screwdriver at the same time, and looked at the speaker. It was an ancient looking creature made of a transparent glowing white flesh, reminding him of the 'ghosts' that him and Rose had encountered when they'd been in the basement of the funeral parlor. "What?" He asked it after a moment.

"Long ago, a human girl made of gold came here, and carved this shape into my home. She asked me to watch over it, and that when the man with a blue box came here, to tell you that you have to name it."

"What does it do?" The Doctor demanded.

"I do not know, but I know that she had more power than I could imagine, and I did not wish to anger her. I agreed and have been here ever since. She said that when it was named in the forgotten tongue, then a truth would be revealed. That is all." A circle of light suddenly appeared over his head, and he looked up as though he were about to cry. "You are just in time. My ancestors are calling me to join then in the Next, and I must go." He disappeared into the circle of light at that moment, and everything went dark again.

Returning to the carving, the Doctor thought of all of the forgotten languages that he knew. Going in order of the English alphabet, he said the word 'rose' in every language that he could think of. It took hours, but when he finished, he was no closer to what he had been before he arrived. The carving never changed, and he was ready to pull out his hair in frustration, when suddenly it hit him.

His home language was more forgotten than any other one in the universe. If he spoke it in public, then most people wouldn't even know what it was called.

Leaning closer to the stone, he opened his mouth, and quietly whispered her name in his own language. At first nothing happened, and he thought that he would have to give up, but finally the lines of the picture started to flow as though a sun were shining through it. Every piece of the rose broke away from the cliff face, and in midair, started to reassemble. The came back together, and the doctor was surprised to see that the shape was exactly like that of the TARDIS. Grabbing it, he turned it over, and found a message cut into the stone.

_My Doctor, _

_You are here, which means that you have already found the letter and talked with Jack. _

_This is #3 in my messages. Also, if you haven't already figured it out, then I'll tell you that I used the Bad Wolf to create these and scatter them. I prepared myself or the day that we would get separated for a long time. _

_Your next clue will be hidden in open sight, and I only wish that you don't miss it. It will not be there for very long. But if you travel like you normally would, then it will be found in time. Literally. _

_Always yours,_

_Rose._

He held the weightless piece of stone to his chest, and took it into the TARDIS, walking straight to his room. Putting it on a shelf next to her letter from the picture, and a photo of her, he sat down on his bed. A strange peace overcame him shortly, and he quickly fell asleep.


End file.
